It was Friday, February 16, 2018. It was supposed to be a normal day full of normal classes. But it took me until fourth period to figure out what was making everyone so tense. A gun threat addressed to Northview High School students said, "Don't come to school tomorrow. @northview." For me, that was when the smallest bit of fear first kicked in.
A student showed the administration the snap, and they had been working since morning to figure out who had posted it. But they did not tell the student body what was happening. People came to the conclusion that someone attending our school had done this, but I couldn't believe any peer of mine had the ability to do something so inhumane.
I had just finished taking a test when my teacher told us to be careful and to tell our friends to do the same. What my teacher said didn't make complete sense to me, but after the bell rang and I went to lunch, I passed it onto my friends. We shook it off because we figured that it would be insignificant in the future. Life carried on as if nothing had taken place.
Then it happened. The same way it happened in Florida. The fire alarm was pulled.
And I just remember the teachers telling us to go out. I remember fearing for my life. I remember everyone running and stepping on one another and people crying and calling their parents as if it was their last day alive. I know my friends and I were scared, but we had a bit of hope that nothing would happen, even though we knew that this fire was not a drill.
After about 40 minutes we were told to go back inside, and as we did, I saw people still calling their parents just to hear their voices. When we got inside, there still wasn't any news from our intercoms like there usually was, so that small fear at the in the pit of my stomach increased a little more.
Another 30 minutes or so later, the bell rang, indicating it was time to go to class. So everyone got up uneasily and left the cafeteria.
Fifth period finally came around, and to everyone's relief, our principal made the announcement that we were the not Northview High School the threat was for. It was to the Northview High School in Dothan, Alabama. However, even with this knowledge, people were still extremely anxious. With over half of our student body gone, everyone was feeling uneasy. Parents called and texted their children to either pick them up or just to make sure they were OK. The halls were quiet when moving from class to class. It was scary to even walk in the hallways alone.
We were very fortunate that no one was injured that day, but this was a deeply traumatic event for me as a high school student.
After all that has happened to me today and the fact that there have been 18 school shootings like this in 2018 alone so far, I can firmly say that gun control really needs to happen, and it needs to happen with force. It's unfair that so many students are suffering just because of some people who enjoy striking this kind of fear in others.
We are supposed to be the future, but how are we supposed to do that if we do not get to have a future?
To help make stricter gun control laws possible, contact your local Congressman or Congresswoman. For Georgia residents, click here to contact your Senators and here for your representatives or use this website to call the offices. The more coverage this topic receives, the more likely it will be that schools can feel safe once again.
